Kroger DeKalb County Shooting Three Men Couple Defensive Gun Use DGU
courtesy wsbtv.com

You carry a concealed handgun because you never know. You don’t just strap one on when you’re going to an “iffy part of town.” The truth is, there’s no way to predict when the worst can happen. Take yesterday’s story of a typical Florida Man who tried a couple of carjackings outside a Walmart store.

Friday, a Georgia couple was out and about doing what a lot of people do heading into a weekend — errands. They had just walked out of a Kroger store after buying some groceries when they were approached by three men.

“We believe that there may have been some sort of crime that was intended to happen at that time, whether it was a robbery or a carjacking, we really don’t know right now,” said Shiera Campbell with the DeKalb County Police Department.

They had apparently been targeted by the three while shopping inside the store.

According to DeKalb Police spokeswoman Shiera Campbell, the couple was inside the store when a group of three began following them. The trio then followed the couple out of the store into the parking lot, where there was an exchange of “a large amount of gunfire.”

Police believe the group targeted the couple, but don’t believe the parties knew each other before the incident.

“Whether it was a robbery or a carjacking, we don’t know right now. It’s still too early on in the investigation to say,” Campbell told 11Alive at the scene.

This is why we carry. Not because of fear, not because we’re hankering to shoot someone, not because we’re itching for a fight. Law-abiding concealed carriers arm themselves because something like this can and does happen, not only in downtown areas or inner cities, but also in suburban shopping centers or gas stations.

And this is exactly the type of defensive gun use — watch, they’ll classify this one as a mass shooting — that Gabby Giffords and Shannon Watts say never happens in America. Because they would rather you be disarmed and a victim than able to defend yourself as this Georgia couple did.

Not. Another. Inch.

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59 COMMENTS

  1. OP does not state the outcome, or did I miss it?

    Lots of gunfire? 2 on 3 or 1 on 3?

    P.S. – Happy Father’s Day, you all have beautiful kids, so you picked good lookin Moms for them and did your best 3 mins. of work on them. Congrats. ; )

    • What wasn’t in the article is that all three of the suspects were lined up and shot with a single 6.5 Creedmore round….. wait…. are we still doing this?

      • You are so behind. This week we’ve moved on to 6.71 Creedmore Lazzeroni Improved Ackley Approved J.D. Jones Death Whisperer. Try and keep up.

    • Even the linked article doesn’t have much info. “Three would-be robbers are in the hospital after the couple they targeted pulled a gun and fought back.” Only one gun, it sounds like the couple pulled it out together “here honey, reach in my pocket, on three…”

      Must have been a crew served weapon.

      Though the news station lacked details on what happened, they were happy to inform that their helicopter mounted, super HD advanced camera had spotted a gun in the parking lot. Though the super advanced HD camera couldn’t make out what type of gun it was. Probably a black high powered Glock AR assault bump pistol.

    • The report I saw says all 3 perps fired shots, and the male of the victim couple fired shots. All 3 perps were hit. No one else was injured.

  2. Why do some shootings warrant mass attention , and some not ?

    FBI still holding back LAS VEGAS info… ignoring FOIA demands …. why ?

    Why do Parkland victims matter but not Vegas victims ?

    • School systems have more immunities to law suits than casinos. LV police are simply protecting the tax base.

    • That twin peaks biker gang shoot out investigation disappeared too… It was all “crazy biker gangs in mass shoot out!” And then, wait, who killed who, bikers or police, and then went quiet. I guess I would have to look it up, I didn’t see the media blitz murder trial coverage.

    • With holding information on Las Vegas shooting because the government was involved.C Y A

  3. AFAIK 3 on 2 and none of the victims were hit
    sounds like all the attackers were wounded

    Witness says one man was using cover/ going back and forth between cars and reloading?

      • The chance of needing more than 6 shots as a conceal carry holder is so vanishingly small that if you’re trying to account for it you would be better off also wearing a helmet while driving your car and, hell, while walking around.

        I mean unless you’re in Brazil or Chicago, I guess.

        • The odds of needing a gun are pretty small too. Yet I carry anyway. If you DO need a gun, the odds of needing more than 5 shots are pretty small even in a DGU. But I carry a double stack and sometimes a spare magazine. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge someone for carrying a small single stack or a revolver. But I also won’t criticize someone who prepares for more than the most common incidents.

        • The chance of needing more than 6 shots as a conceal carry holder is so vanishingly small

          This is not a logical statement.

          1. Even trained police can expect about 25% hits and only about 10% immediately debilitating hits. Two attackers means you need 12 to 15 rounds get up to even chances. Sure some will flee on a shot in the air, but a good deal will press home their attack even if grazed or even if taking a center mass shot. A person needs to lose 45% to 50% of there blood before they lose consciousness, plenty of people are fully conscious for long periods after sustaining two shots to center mass (more than you would typically get at 20′ against a knife armed person, and way more than you would get shooting at someone 30′ away who is shooting at you a gunfight).

          2. As others have mentioned, the chance of needing fire insurance, three ABC fire extinguisher, a burglar alarm, or your umbrella policy is also vanishing small. I have smoke alarms in my home but have never had a house-fire. Do you tell people not to have those things since the chances of needing it are “vanishingly small”?

    • “There was an exchange of gunfire, but police said two of those who were shot were the alleged suspects. Police identified those people as Andrew Banks , 23, and Austin Harris, 18.

      The third person shot was an innocent bystander, police said.”

      So that’s just two out of the three attackers hit. The third casualty was just a random Kroger customer in the vicinity.

    • Which party? According to the Daily Mail less than 8% of robberies are solved in Jolly Ild England.

  5. Smoke detectors, lights, locks, alarms, insurance, seatbelts, airbags, and guns. I don’t want to need any of them, but I might, and I’ll be glad it was there. A few years ago I interrupted a guy checking car doors in a restaurant parking lot. I saw him try 2 or 3 cars before he saw me, and rather than scurrying into the shadows he moved toward me and looked me up and down. His hands were empty, but he kept closing on me. My right hand went to my pocket. He stopped. My hand didn’t come back alone. I drew my S&W 642. I never broke eye contact with him. I saw his eyes widen, then he ran. The gun didn’t even fully clear my pocket, but he knew he wasn’t getting what I had tonight and decided he had better places to be, I suppose. The last I saw of him he was sprinting across the neighboring gas station’s parking lot. No gunfire, bet still a DGU!

  7. From the limited reporting so far sounds like someone needed more than a cylinder’s worth of ammo…

    • Kroger policy is “follow state and local law”. Except for employees. (I’m working hard to change that policy as an employee. I’m converting 1-2 people a year minimum to CCW permit holders, so there’s more people with more voices)

      Kroger policy will 90% of things is “don’t ask don’t tell.” Dogs, service animals, handicap parking, etc. If they don’t see it as a problem affecting bottom line, it won’t become massive policy or rule overhaul. We have open carry in our store daily, and nobody even mentions it, and most of the time doesn’t even notice.

    • No. Kroger allows firearms to be carried in their stores as long as it is in accordance with local law. Kroger has resisted multiple demands from the Disarmed Mommies and Parkland Whiners for a policy change.

    • Kroger, in Texas, at least, came out in support of open carry when we got that a couple years ago. They didn’t have to say or do anything, but they publicly stated that they would not post signs banning open carry and would not ask anyone lawfully carrying either to leave or to conceal their sidearm. Home Depot made the same declaration.

      I’m ok with everyone just being cool about it, remaining silent, and not posting prohibiting signs. That’s just quietly going about their business, complying with the law, and defaulting for freedom. What irks me is when it’s a nonissue like open carry, yet some company goes out of its way to take a pointless stand. Whataburger did that, barring open carry, when really all they had to do was nothing.

  9. Every time I see a pocket dump without a reload I call foul and more than once responders have said a reload was not necessary. And they were right. You don’t need a reload. Until you need one.

    • Well said. If you’re already concealing a firearm, is it really that difficult to find somewhere to keep a spare mag or two? I feel undergunned with less than 20 rounds on my person, preferably 30. But that’s 15+1 in the gun and 15 in spare mag. Better to have it and not need it.

      Or one can go on saying “the 5 shots in my LCR are plenty cause I dont miss.” Good luck with that.

      • Good thing CCW is for all intents and purposes illegal here in Kommifornia. With a 10rd limit per mag, I would have to carry at least 2 what most other folks would have in one. Thank heaven for small miracles huh!

    • Every time I see a pocket dump without at least eight hundred rounds of 7.62 ball-linked, six grenades, a full MOPP suit and a mine detector, I call foul. Personally, I never leave the house without an armored brigade following me around, but I like to be prepared.

    • Different people prepare to different levels. Sometimes, a single reload isn’t enough. Sometimes two won’t be enough. I won’t begrudge a person their carry choices, even if it’s a single stack micro or a revolver.

  10. I don’t care who they are. Jewish , black, homosexual. Did I miss any body? The anti civil rights crowd will call you names.
    But this black gun owner will never submit.

    Your grandfathers shotgun is not safe. Your 5 shot revolver is not safe. I’m keeping my bump stock. Because this has never been about the bump stock.

    • You missed us Pollocks. (Sorry Grandpa) He hated that word. I kind of dig it. Anyway, this Pollock will never surrender my rights either. We shall join forces.

    • That’s something the left often misses. While they are actively telling straight white men (~30% of the population) how awful they are and how they need to be marginalized, the pro-gun right is saying “welcome!” to any woman, gay, or minority that wants to see what all the fuss is about on the other side. This year I’ve already worked with a couple laaaarge free events teaching shooting to LGBT folks and to women, with sponsors like the NRA, NRA-ILA, NSSF.
      The left also forgets that about 30% of latinos vote republican and ~20% of black people vote that way too. Those of us in those groups generally tend to HATE being told how we’re supposed to think/vote and having folks assume our blind allegiance to the left. I can’t help but see their assumption that my fellow pro-gun people hate skin tones like mine is just more evidence of the left’s inability to accurately perceive reality.

      • You’re making assumptions, too. You assume “The Left” is unaware of the facts. They’re not. They focus on white males because those 30% (your number) of gun owners account for 95%+ of the negative impressions of gun owners. You don’t see blacks and latinos holding holding rallys to proclaim treasonous rebel nonsense or waving racist slogans or showing off skinhead tattoos.

        Are there responsible, sane, safe white male gun owners? Of course! Are there crazy people of color who shouldn’t be allowed to have guns? Of course! But they don’t rally and stir each other up to defy the government and threaten other demographic groups. And no one’s sexual identity has anything to do with it.

        Also, by your own admission, latinos are twice as likely to vote Democrat and blacks are FOUR times as likely to do so as they are to vote Republican, so it’s reasonable to assume that any one black or latino person will follow those trends, even if you don’t. It’s not racist, it’s just math. And those rebels and skinheads universally vote Republican, when they vote.

  12. “We believe that there may have been some sort of crime that was intended to happen at that time, whether it was a robbery or a carjacking, we really don’t know right now,” said Shiera Campbell with the DeKalb County Police Department.

    Wow, what cogent analysis. Some sort of crime may have been intended. Did they send her to the Special Police Academy or what?

    • Probably “Spokesperson School” after a stint at Inspector Clouseau’s School of Detective.

  13. Around here, if you’re in a parking lot, particularly a Walmart parking lot, you’re in an iffy part of town. Doesn’t matter the general socio-economic environment.

    • Very true. A few months ago I went to a local Walmart late in the evening. I’m a gimpy old white guy in an old pickup. As soon as I got out of the truck, I felt eyes on me from several directions. Nothing happened but It was like the parking lot was filled with buzzards. I note that this couple was approached by 3 guys. It used to be that you’d get approached by one guy in a Walmart parking lot. Now they’re doing it in threes and are armed. The criminals are adapting. Six rounds ain’t enough.

    • Two Walmarts in Flagstaff, AZ; both posted NO overnight parking. Asked a security guy patrolling in a truck, said both had gang fights in the lots and armed robberies of the jewelry dept in the store. Had a map printed out on his own of a safe lot to use overnight. We travel across country and make large use of Walmart lots.

  14. Did anyone else notice how eerily similar this event was shaping up to be a possible repeat of the Petit family robbery, rape, and murders?

  16. I’m calling fake news on this. According to the major media, guns are never used in self-defense. Ever.

  17. Got to love the question about “Irresponsible Gun Fire”… My question is “Who”… The man defining himself and wife or the GANG of CRIMINALS. Giving one guy put rounds in three criminals without collecting any in himself or his wife… And the Three CRIMINALS managed to miss them but shot their car, the answer to “Irresponsible Gun Fire” should be obvious.

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